Lions of Little Rock

The Lions of Little Rock, by Kristin Levine, is about a girl named Marlee who is afraid to speak. She lives in Little Rock, Arkansas. When Liz, the new girl, becomes her friend and works with her on a presentation, Liz decides they should do it orally and she helps Marlee overcome her fear. But the day of the presentation her teacher tells her that Liz will not be coming to school anymore. Marlee does her presentation but at lunch, she finds out Liz is African American. At home Marlee's sister, Judy has to leave because schools are shutting down. Once Judy leaves Marlee decides to try and talk to Liz and so she gives the Pastor of the colored (African American) church a note for her about magic squares book Liz had promised Marlee. Marlee and Liz meet at the zoo and Liz gives Marlee her number. When Marlee calls Liz can not meet her because she has to take her brother to the movies at the colored theater but Marlee decides to go too. At the movie, they decide to meet at the old quarry in town. One day while Liz and Marlee are there a boy from Marlee's school, J.T, and his brother, Red come and see Marlee. She walks away but trips over dynamite that Red decides to put in the back of his car.  Marlee and Liz can not meet anymore but the bump into each other at the zoo and they see reds car and the keys to the trunk. Marlee gets in and gets it out but when she realises she left some and she goes back but gets trapped in the trunk. She gets out with a letter opener and gets her brother to pick her up. Marlee proves to the police that Red did have dynamite and he gets in trouble. Liz and Marlee meet once more but they know they will still be friends, even if the can't see each other.

I think the theme of Lions of Little Rock is that skin color shouldn't determine friendship.  This is proved when Marlee's mother is talking about how Liz lied to everyone, "'A nice girl?" Mother interrupted.  "She lied to Marlee and everyone else in the school'"(71).  Also, when her father is talking with Marlee about how she and Liz can't be friends anymore, he says "'Marlee you can't still be friends with Liz'" (73).  Last of all, when Marlee is thinking about if she wants Liz as her friend,  "If you had asked me last summer if I wanted a negro for a friend, I would have said no thank you"(92). This is why the main theme of Lions of Little Rock is skin color should not determine friendship.  

The setting of Little Rock is important to the story because it takes place down south where most segregation occurred and where people didn't like African Americans. This is supported in the book when Marlee's father tells her, "'Do you remember when I invited that colored minister, Pastor George, to come speak at our church?' I nodded. 'The next day there was a note tucked in with our paper. It said, let your youngest walk to school tomorrow, she won't make it. And it was signed KKK'"(73). Also, the lions at the zoo show that Marlee was brave. This was proved when Marlee's mom was telling her dad, "Marlee listens to lions"(279).The school is important to the story because it is where everything started. When Little Rock schools close rather than desegregate, Marlee's older sister, her closest companion, leaves to attend school elsewhere. Marlee is left needing a friend and so becomes friends with Liz. This is why the setting is important.   

I would definitely recommend this book for seventh graders because it shows how being African American in the South was difficult.  It also has a good plot and never gets boring.  Levine does a great job portraying Marlee and Liz.  I think this book is one any could enjoy.   

A Lesson for Mina and I

A Lesson For Mina and I

The car pulled into the parking lot and drove to a parking spot next to the P.A.C. Mina and I walked across the pavement. Mina pulled the Performers Entrance door open as we stepped up to it. I heard the trumpet play a note and then the trumpet continued with a song. I listened to the sound of the trumpet as we set our French horns against the wall. I jumped nervously from foot to foot. Finally the trumpet player came out of the room and we grabbed up our horns and music. I ran my hand on the rough wall.  The door opened. Emily was standing there, around the single stand in the center of the room. Two chairs where around the stand and I ran and grabbed a third chair for me. We sat down in the chairs with Emily.

“Let’s warm up with a scale,” Emily said as she situated the stand.

“What scale?” Mina asked.

“Whichever one you want.” she replied.

“How about Bb concert,” I clarified.

“What is that?” She asked smiling.

“Um… F concert?” I said, hoping that was right. I looked at her for confirmation.

“Not concert,” She corrected. Shaking her head. She scooted in her chair.

‘Ok just F,” I complied.

We played the scale and then we played another. Finally we moved on from our warm up and she pulled out the book of chorales. She opened it up a placed it on the stand.

“Now let’s play a choral. Tava you play bottom, Mina middle, and I’ll do top,” She said, pointing at the parts as she said them.

We all played the first not and then she instructed us to continue with the song.

“Tava start on low c and go up chromatically,” she grabbed a fingering chart from the table.

“Okay,” I began to play.

I finished the scale and she thought for a moment.

“Okay play F up to A,” she finally said.

I played what she wanted me to.

“Again,” She really wanted me to play low notes, “Yes, play G to A.”

“Great,” I went along with her.

“Okay, your low embouchure starts on Ab and continues down!” she concluded.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“It when your embouchure changes to play a lower note,” she said.

“That’s so  cool,” I replied.

“Now play the choral again.” Now that that was finished we went back to the choral.

“Wow that sounds better,” I mused after we played.

“Yeah, now keep working on going to that low D to regular Eb,” she continued.

She ran my part with me and then she seemed happy.

“Mina play yours,” she said, moving on.

Mina played and Emily did too.

“That sounds good,” I smiled.

“Now all together,” she said.

We played the choral yet again.

“Tava keep working on the three F’s in a row,” She pointed out.

“Okay,” I replied.

We played more stuff that day but soon our time was up. I packed up my horn and we walked out the door we had come in. Outside Mina’s dad’s black truck parked and the door swung open. We walked, our french horns bumping against our legs, and put our french horns in the back. We hopped up to the seats and started driving. He dropped us off at my house and we stayed there until dinner when we all went out to dinner. I still remember that day every time I play a really low part with my horn. It has affected the way I think of the horn and now I actually like playing low horn.